“We must live with our own conscience”. Each and every one of us must live with his own conscience.” This quote was in the book A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines. This book tells the story of a black man called Jefferson who was accused of murder in the 1940’s and was taught to “be a man” before he died. Jefferson's aunt and her friend ask Grant Wiggins to help Jefferson become a man. Grant was not willing to in the beginning, but by the end of the book, he was grateful he did. In this book, Ernest J. Gaines uses symbols, analogy, and foreshadowing. In A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, symbols are used very often in this book to represent themes in this book. One symbol that is used often is the hog, which is used to dehumanize